to THE AUSTRALIAN
Rejection of ‘supernatural explanations’ of the universe and scornful descriptions of them as ‘a fairy tale’ (Letters, 28/8) fly in the face of abundant evidence that there is much more to human nature than positivistic science and the logical mind can see. First and foremost is their total inability to explain why there is a universe at all. ‘It just happened’ won’t do.
There is an enormous amount of convincing testimony from cultures worldwide over ten thousand years or more that intuition, conscience, inspiration, ‘the sixth sense’ and ‘second sight’ really do exist and afford vital guidance for individuals and societies. Through them the divine speaks to the human. We are more than we ordinarily perceive ourselves to be. That is why philosophical tradition in ancient Greece stressed the vital first requirement to ‘know oneself’ - to know, in fact, that one is far more than what first appears. The teaching of Jesus about the need for a ‘second birth’ makes the same point.
I tremble for Australia if the nation collectively turns its back on these windows to eternity.
NJ, Belgrave, Vic